“Angels are Watching over You” – R. Nelson  

 

BIBLE MEDITATION:

Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.” Hebrews 13:2 

ENCOURAGING WORD:

Have you ever wondered about Angels? Angels are mentioned quite often in the scriptures of the Bible. There are a few Angels that are mentioned by name, they are considered Arch Angels. Probably the most well-known Angel is Gabriel whom we all know about from the Christmas Story. But Gabriel also appears in other areas of scripture, such as Daniel where Gabriel gives Daniel the most remarkable prophecy in the Bible in Daniel 9:24-27; The Angel Gabriel always seems to be on a Messianic mission. Daniel 9:20-21; “Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God, yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering.

Then we have Michael the Arch Angel. The Arch Angel Michael, on the other hand, is always on a military mission in defense of Israel. Right up until the end Michael seems to be battling the forces of evil, Revelation 12: 7-9; “Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon (Satan) was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.”

There is however, a very evil side to all this doctrine about angels as well. There is a religious sect of Christianity that do worship certain angels. Angels are not to be worshipped or deified in any way shape or form. Angels are created beings that are in the service of God the creator. This means if you had lived in the flesh at any time in your life, you cannot become an angel and return to earth with a message of any kind, only angels can break through the barrier of time and enter into our world of mortals. This may disturb a lot of people, but I do not believe a loved one can come back to communicate anything to you and I will use this verse to back my reason for believing this. Luke 16:24-26; “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted, and you are tormented. And besides all this, (between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.) Nobody that died in the flesh can return to earth to speak to any living mortal. We read this verse in the scriptures that make it very clear that we are not to bow down to or receive any message from any angel, 2 John 1:10; “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; The doctrine that is being spoken of here is the gospel of salvation. Jesus Christ was crystal clear when He said there would be no peace on earth until the Prince of peace returns. For those that are not sure, the Prince of Peace is Jesus Christ. We also read this verse that validates my point as well, Galatians 1:8; But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.“ There have been certain appearance by a very popular angel that has brought a false message, one of peace before Jesus returns. Know this, we read in 2 Corinthians 11:14; “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.” Satan can appear as an angel of light and has done so to deceive millions of Christian followers. We read in 1 Timothy 2:5; “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;” This is telling us that if you receive any message of salvation through any source that doesn’t come directly from the scriptures or Jesus Christ Himself, you are being lied to and deceived. These can be pretty harsh statements to make in light of some very popular teachings, but know this, these are passages that come right out of the Bible, the book that you are supposed to be following. Be well aware of the people that come knocking at your door wearing black and white suites doing exactly what the bible tells you to watch out for. They are massagers of Satan and the problem is this, they do not even know it. They have been blind to the truth by none other than our adversary, Satan! Matthew 24:24 gives us this warning, “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.” Our world has been infiltrated with false Christs and false prophets from the beginning of time, but in this world in which we live today, it has escalated to an all-time high which the Bible declares will happen in the end days.

 There are Bible verses where a certain person bows down to an Angel and are rebuked for doing so as we read in Revelation 22:8-9; “I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. But he said to me, “Do not do that. I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed the words of this book. Worship God.” Then we find in the following verse where Joshua is told to remove his shoes, Joshua 5:13; “And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “Are You for us or for our adversaries?” Then we read a couple verses further where we hear this man say, Joshua 5:15; “Then the Commander of the LORD’s army said to Joshua, “Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so.” This is concrete evidence that the man standing there is none other than our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Angels will tell you not to bow down to them and Jesus will say just the opposite. We know of another very well-known scripture where another man was told to remove his sandals. Exodus 3:5-6; “Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” ⁶ Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses his his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.”

With all this being said, I know a quite a few people that have had an encounter with an angel as well as myself. I will share my story. One day about thirty-five years ago as my family and I were coming home from a family member’s house, we were travelling down a major highway up north in Wisconsin. All of a sudden out of nowhere a fierce snowstorm appeared. I happen to be between to semis and before I knew it, I lost compete control of my vehicle and had no idea which way I was headed. I had zero visibility. I really thought for a brief moment that this was it, there was no way to escape what was happening. Just when I thought all was lost, my vehicle had come to a complete stop and I found myself on a wayside safely away from all traffic. To this day, the thing that amazes me most is this, I was not a true Christian as of yet and still God sent one of His angels to watch over me. As I look back at my life, I can remember things that for some reason just did not make sense. There were so many times that I know the hand of God was protecting me from certain disaster. At that time, I really never understood why, but now, I do. Satan was trying to take me out while God was watching over me from the day that I was born right up to the present because God had a plan for me in my later years. His plan for me started about twenty-five years ago when He took me aside and revealed Himself to me through the Holy Spirit. From that time on, God has used me to share His message to a dying world. I am not going to compare myself to such great men as Moses, or other Bible personalities that were saved from certain death for a future assignments, but I do believe that God is fulfilling His plan for me and that is because I finally submitted to His will after many years of rebellion. God has a plan for everybody, but the sad truth is this, very few will submit their lives to God and let Him guide their lives according to His will instead of their own.

ACTION POINT:

Have you had an encounter with someone that seemed kind of mysterious, well hear this verse again as it says in the scriptures, Hebrews 13:2;  “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. My friends, you may have had an encounter with an angel and never even knew it. Look back on your life and ask yourself if you ever had a moment in your life where you knew that something was special but could not put your figure on it. If someone starts to tell you about an angel that they felt they had an encounter with, listen to them, they are probably telling you truth, at least they believe they are. In most cases something supernatural had taken place. Angels are very powerful beings. In Isaiah 37:36 we read, ^“Then the angelof the Lord went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses—all dead.” Isn’t it a wonderful feeling knowing that we have such security surrounding us at all times no matter where we are? Praise God for assigning us with such loving beings! Psalms 91:11; for he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. Icannot wait to meet the Angels that were watching over me, they did a great job and I am sure they had their hands full with me! “Written To the glory of God, Inspired by the Holy Spirit!”

From our Chaplin-R. Fritz

Angels are Watching over You

Angels were made by God and used by God for his glory. Angels were made a little higher than Jesus because he had to suffer death for every man and through death might destroy the devil who had the power of death. Hebrews 2:9,13-16 “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me. Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily he took not on him the nature of the angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.” Jesus also took away the fear of death and the lifetime of bondage to it. The Lord is always thinking about us and trying to help us from getting into bondage, we just need to trust him. Psalms 91:11 says, “For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.”  Psalms 34:7 says, “The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.”  

Here are a couple of verses that talk about the Lord having angels around us: Angels were a messenger for Jesus when he died and was put in the sepulchre (tomb). Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James were at Jesus’s tomb when they saw two men who stood by them in shining garments (angels) and went back to tell the apostles. Luke 24:4-7 says “And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.” 

Regular Angels in the bible appear as men without wings. There are angels called Cherubim and Seraphim and are normally around God. Ezekiel in Ezekiel 10 talks about the Cherubim’s having four faces, many eyes, wheels, four wings. If you are really interested read Ezekiel. The Seraphim have six wings, full of eyes. Read Isaiah 6 or Revelations for more information. They glorify God. These were prophetic sightings. Angels have a hierarchy with “Michael” being the archangel and Gabriel the messenger with the other angels under them. God is the leader of the angels and they do whatever he asks. Angels are spiritual beings and we see them only if God wants us to. They are another tool for God to use. Luke 15:10 says and this is Jesus speaking “Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.”

Angels are among us being our cheerleader for us here or in Heaven. We are not supposed to worship or put angels above God. I have seen angels, as humans a couple of times that I know of. One time, I asked God since I see spirits and fight them if he would show me an angel. 2 weeks later as I was driving from my house, I saw a young woman on the side of the road with everything out of her trunk. I went back home to get my phone that I had forgotten and when I got back, she was still there. I pulled in behind her and found out she had a flat tire. As I was changing her tire and talking to her I realized that she was an angel. Her spare tire was low, and I had an air compressor in my car to inflate her tire. She thanked me and asked if I needed something. I knew that she was an angel and was in tears and could not speak and got in my car and left. Hebrews 13:1-2 says “Let brotherly love continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Because I stopped to help the young woman, I had an opportunity to talk to an angel. I have also had an experience when my car stopped, and a couple picked me up and let me off. When I looked back, they were gone.

Angels are spiritual beings that fight in the spirit with demonic forces, they also worship God in his presence. We that are “Born Again” have an opportunity to battle in the spirit and worship in the spirit which we are called to do. John 4:23-24 says and this Jesus speaking “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and truth.”  God uses angels to get a message or to help us still today. The people with the Holy Ghost that are born again are hearing from God because the Comforter was sent in the name of Jesus. John 14:26 says and this is Jesus speaking “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said to you.”   It is great that our Lord and Savior gave his life for us so that we that are born again can have eternal life. Whether angels or the Holy Ghost give the words to you to speak to somebody that can offer “Hope” to them. Satin and his army of fallen angels will fight against that. We need to step up to give this world courage and faith that the Lord has your back and praying that we are coming all together will change the lives that are put before us forever.